Advertisement

Psychological Studies

, Volume 64, Issue 2, pp 173–186 | Cite as

Context and Personality in Personal and Work-Related Subjective Well-Being: The Influence of Networks, Organizational Trust, and Personality

  • Liliana AlvesEmail author
  • Isabel Neira
  • Helena Santos Rodrigues
Review Article
First Online:
  • 85 Downloads

Abstract

We propose an investigation of subjective well-being in companies, analyzing both happiness and life satisfaction (we named personal subjective well-being) and job satisfaction (we named work-related subjective well-being). In this research, we explore the three types through analysis of contextual factors (networks and organizational trust) and personality factors, due to its impact on the subjective well-being, observed in the scientific research carried out in this area. We aggregate in our research model the personal networks and personality factors—as significant factors in happiness and life satisfaction research—to job network and organizational trust factors—as significant factors in job satisfaction research—and we search their mediating influence on happiness (model 1), life satisfaction (model 2), and job satisfaction (model 3). Our data set was collected through application of an original survey in Portuguese and Galician companies. The ordered probit regressions performed show that the factors analyzed influence each type of subjective well-being in different ways. Coworker and family networks factors, as well as trust in the company, seem to influence happiness and job satisfaction positively and significantly. Personality factors are influential only in personal subjective well-being (happiness and life satisfaction). Very good health is positively related to all types of subjective well-being, while being in the 46–67 age range and having a secondary or university education are negatively and significantly related to all types of subjective well-being.

Keywords

Subjective well-being Networks Organizational trust Personality 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

References

  1. Aitchison, J., & Silvey, S. D. (1957). The generalization of probit analysis to the case of multiple responses. Biometrika, 44(1–2), 131–140.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Aldridge, T. R., & Gore, J. S. (2016). Linking personality traits with well-being: The influence of primary social roles. Psychological Studies, 61(3), 233–244.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-016-0370-x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Annor, F. (2016). Work-family enrichment among Ghanaian employees: The mediating role between social support and subjective well-being. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 11(4), 1155–1171.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-015-9427-6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Benet-Martinéz, V., & John, O. P. (1998). Los Cinco Grandes across cultures and ethnic groups: Multitrait multimethod analyses of the big five in Spanish and English. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(3), 729–750.  https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.75.3.729.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  5. Binder, M., & Freytag, A. (2013). Volunteering, subjective well-being and public policy. Journal of Economic Psychology, 34, 97–119.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2012.11.008.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Bruni, L., & Stanca, L. (2008). Watching alone: Relational goods, television and happiness. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 65(3–4), 506–528.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2005.12.005.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Bureau, U. S. C., & Statistics, U. S. B. o. L. (2012). Current Population Survey. Google Scholar
  8. Cameron, A. C., & Trivedi, P. K. (2005). Microeconometrics: Methods and applications. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Cammann, C., Fichman, M., & Jenkins, D. (1979). The Michigan organizational assessment questionnaire. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.Google Scholar
  10. Chiburis, R., & Lokshin, M. (2007). Maximum likelihood and two-step estimation of an ordered-probit selection model. Stata Journal, 7(2), 167–182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. Colombo, E., & Stanca, L. (2014). Measuring the monetary value of social relations: A hedonic approach. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 50, 77–87.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2014.03.001.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. Cooper, C. L., Sloan, S. J., & Williams, S. (1988). Occupational stress indicator: Management guide. Windsor: NFER-Nelson.Google Scholar
  13. Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1980). Influence of extraversion and neuroticism on subjective-well-being: Happy and unhappy people. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 38(4), 668–678.  https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.38.4.668.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  14. De Neve, J., Christakis, N. A., Fowler, J. H., & Frey, B. S. (2012). Genes, economics and happiness. Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology and Economics, 5(4), 193–211.  https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. Diener, E. (2006). Guidelines for national indicators of subjective well-being and ill-being. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 1(2), 151–157.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-006-9007-x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Diener, E., & Lucas, R. E. (1999). Personality and subjective well-being. In E. Kahneman & N. Schwarz Diener (Eds.), Well-being: The foundations of hedonic psychology. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.Google Scholar
  17. Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Lucas, R. E. (2003). Personality, culture and subjective well-being: Emotional and cognitive evaluations of life. Annual Review of Psychology, 54(1), 403–425.  https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.54.101601.145056.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  18. Diener, E., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Very happy people. Psychological Science, 13(1), 81–84.  https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00415.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  19. Digman, J. M. (1990). Personality structure: Emergence of the five factor model. Annual Review of Psychology, 41(1), 417–440.  https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ps.41.020190.002221.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. Dolan, P., Peasgood, T., & White, M. (2008). Do you really know what makes us happy? A review of the economic literature on the factors associated with subjective well-being. Journal of Economic Psychology, 29(1), 94–122.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2007.09.001.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Easterlin, R. A. (1995). Will raising the incomes of all increase the happiness of all? Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 27(1), 35–47.  https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-2681(95)00003-B.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  22. Easterlin, R. A. (2014). An Economist’s road to subjective well-being. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 9(3), 783–785.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-014-9329-z.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. EVS (2008). European Values Study survey.Google Scholar
  24. Faragher, E. B., Cass, M., & Cooper, C. L. (2005). The relationship between job satisfaction and health: a meta-analysis. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 62(2), 105–112.  https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.2002.006734.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  25. Ferrer-i-Carbonell, A., & Frijters, P. (2004). How important is methodology for the estimates of the determinants of happiness? Economic Journal, 114(497), 641–659.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0297.2004.00235.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  26. Frey, B. (2008). Happiness a revolution in economics. Cambridge: The MIT Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. Frey, B. S., & Stutzer, A. (2002). What can economists learn from happiness research? Journal of Economic Literature, 40(2), 402–435.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Frijters, P., & Beatton, T. (2012). The mystery of the U-shaped relationship between happiness and age. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 82(2–3), 525–542.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2012.03.008.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  29. Gasper, D. (2004). Human Well-being:Concepts and Conceptualizations. In WIDER Discussion Papers (Vol. 2004/06): World Institute for Development Economics (UNU-WIDER).Google Scholar
  30. Gerdtham, U. G., & Johannesson, M. (2001). The relationship between happiness, health, and socio-economic factors: Results based on Swedish microdata. Journal of Socio-Economics, 30(6), 553–557.  https://doi.org/10.1016/S1053-5357(01)00118-4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  31. Gore, J. S., Davis, T., Spaeth, G., Bauer, A., Loveland, J. M., & Palmer, J. K. (2014). Subjective well-being predictors of academic citizenship behavior. Psychological Studies, 59(3), 299–308.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-014-0235-0.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  32. Hayes, N., & Joseph, S. (2003). Big 5 correlates of three measures of subjective well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 34(4), 723–727.  https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(02)00057-0.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  33. Helliwell, J. F., Huang, H., & Wang, S. (2013). Social capital and well-being in times of crisis. Journal of Happiness Studies, 15(1), 145–162.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-013-9441-z.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  34. Helliwell, J. F., & Putnam, R. D. (2004). The social context of well-being. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 359(1449), 1435–1446.  https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2004.1522.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  35. Helliwell, J. F., & Wang, S. (2011). Trust and wellbeing. International Journal of Wellbeing, 1(1), 42–78.  https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v1i1.9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  36. Janssen, O., & Yperen, N. W. V. (2004). Employees’ goal orientations, the quality of leader-member exchange, and the outcomes of job performance and job satisfaction. Academy of Management Journal, 47(3), 368–384.  https://doi.org/10.2307/20159587.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  37. John, O. P., & Srivastava, S. (1999). The Big Five Trait Taxonomy: History, Measurement, and Theoretical Perspectives. In Handbook of personality: Theory and research (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
  38. Joshanloo, M., & Afshari, S. (2011). Big five personality traits and self-esteem as predictors of life satisfaction in iranian muslim university students. Journal of Happiness Studies, 12(1), 105–113.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-009-9177-y.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  39. Judge, T. A., & Church, A. H. (2000). Job satisfaction: Research and practice. In E. A. Locke (Ed.), Industrial and organizational psychology: Linking theory with practice (pp. 166–198). Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
  40. Judge, T. A., Heller, D., & Mount, M. K. (2002). Five-factor model of personality and job satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(3), 530–541.  https://doi.org/10.1037//0021-9010.87.3.530.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  41. Judge, T. A., Thoresen, C. J., Bono, J. E., & Patton, G. K. (2001). The job satisfaction-job performance relationship: A qualitative and quantitative review. Psychological Bulletin, 127(3), 376–407.  https://doi.org/10.1037//0033-2909.127.3.376.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  42. Judge, T. A., & Watanabe, S. (1994). Individual differences in the nature of the relationship between job and life satisfaction. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 67(2), 101–107.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8325.1994.tb00554.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  43. Kim-Prieto, C., Diener, E., Tamir, M., Scollon, C., & Diener, M. (2005). Integrating the diverse definitions of happiness: A time-sequential framework of subjective well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 6(3), 261–300.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-005-7226-8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  44. Kinicki, A. J., McKee-Ryan, F. M., Schriesheim, C. A., & Carson, K. P. (2002). Assessing the construct validity of the job descriptive index: A review and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(1), 14–32.  https://doi.org/10.1037//0021-9010.87.1.14.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  45. Klein, C. (2013). Social capital or social cohesion: What matters for subjective well-being? Social Indicator Research, 110(3), 891–911.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-011-9963-x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  46. Krueger, A. B., & Schkade, D. A. (2008). The reliability of subjective well-being measures. Journal of Public Economics, 92(8–9), 1833–1845.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2007.12.015.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  47. Lane, T. (2017). How does happiness relate to economic behaviour? A review of the literature. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 68, 62–78.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2017.04.001.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  48. Layard, R. (2005). Happiness. London: Pengin.Google Scholar
  49. Locke, E. A. (1976). The nature and causes of job satisfaction. In M. D. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 1297–1349). Chicago: Rand McNally.Google Scholar
  50. McCann, S. J. H. (2011). Emotional health and the big five personality factors at the American state level. Journal of Happiness Studies, 12(4), 547–560.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-010-9215-9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  51. Nagar, I. (2017). Self-regulation for sustaining happiness and well-being: An Indian perspective. Psychological Studies, 63(2), 181–186.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-017-0403-0.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  52. Nagy, M. S. (2002). Using a single-item approach to measure facet job satisfaction. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 75(1), 77–86.  https://doi.org/10.1348/096317902167658.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  53. Orlowski, J., & Wicker, P. (2015). The monetary value of social capital. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 57, 26–36.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2015.04.007.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  54. Oshagbemi, T. (1999). Overall job satisfaction: How good are single vs. multiple-item measures? Journal of Managerial Psychology, 14(5), 388–403.  https://doi.org/10.1108/02683949910277148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  55. Palma, M. T. (2012). A prossecução dos estudos: O papel da personalidade na tomada de decisão. Lisboa: Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada.Google Scholar
  56. Pittau, M. G., Zelli, R., & Gelman, A. (2010). Economic disparities and life satisfaction in European regions. Social Indicator Research, 96(2), 339–361.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-009-9481-2.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  57. Rodríguez-Pose, A., & von Berlepsch, V. (2014). Social capital and individual happiness in Europe. Journal of Happiness Studies, 15(2), 357–386.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-013-9426-y.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  58. Saari, L. M., & Judge, T. A. (2004). Employee attitudes and job satisfaction. Human Resource Management, 43(4), 395–407.  https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.20032.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  59. Sarracino, F. (2010). Social capital and subjective well-being trends: Comparing 11 western European countries. Journal of Socio-Economics, 39(4), 482–517.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2009.10.010.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  60. Scarpello, V., & Campbell, J. P. (1983). Job satisfaction: Are all the parts there? Personnel Psychology, 36(3), 577–600.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1983.tb02236.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  61. Simone, S., Lampis, J., Lasio, D., Serri, F., Cicotto, G., & Putzu, D. (2014). Influences of work-family interface on job and life satisfaction. Applied Research Quality Life, 9(4), 831–861.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-013-9272-4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  62. Tait, M., Padgett, M. Y., & Baldwin, T. T. (1989). Job and life satisfaction: A reevaluation of the strength of the relationship and gender effects as a function of the date of the study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74(3), 502–507.  https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.74.3.502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  63. Tokuda, Y., Fujii, S., & Inoguchi, T. (2010). Individual and country-level effects of social trust on happiness: The Asia barometer survey. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 40(10), 2574–2593.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2010.00671.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  64. van Praag, B. M. S., Frijters, P., & Ferrer-i-Carbonell, A. (2003). The anatomy of subjective well-being. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 51(1), 29–49.  https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-2681(02)00140-3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  65. Veenhoven, R. (2000). The four qualities of life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 1(1), 1–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  66. Wanous, J. P., Reichers, A. E., & Hudy, M. J. (1997). Overall job satisfaction: How good are single-item measures? Journal of Applied Psychology, 82(2), 247–252.  https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.82.2.247.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  67. Warr, P. (1990). The measurement of well-being and other aspects of mental health. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 63(3), 193–210.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8325.1990.tb00521.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  68. Warr, P., Cook, J., & Wall, T. (1979). Scales for the measurement of some work attitudes and aspects of psychological well-being. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 52(2), 129–148.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8325.1979.tb00448.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  69. Winefield, A. H., Tiggemann, M., & Goldney, R. D. (1988). Psychological concomitants of satisfactory employment and unemployment in young people. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 23(3), 149–157.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  70. Wright, T. A., & Cropanzano, R. (2000). Psychological well-being and job satisfaction as predictors of job performance. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 5(1), 84–94.  https://doi.org/10.1037//1076-8998.5.1.84.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© National Academy of Psychology (NAOP) India 2019

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Faculty of Economics and BusinessUniversity of Santiago de CompostelaSantiago de CompostelaSpain
  2. 2.Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo and UNIAG and CIEOViana do CasteloPortugal

Personalised recommendations

Cite article

Buy options